Saint Joaquina de Vedruna

Life story

Joaquina was born on 16 April 1783 in Barcelona (some sources give the 17th and name Vic as the birthplace). On 24 March 1799 she married Teodoro de Mas, a barrister and landowner. They had nine children.

Her husband died in 1816; six of their nine children survived him. As a widow she turned to a religious vocation, and in 1822 she and her family spent eight months in exile at Prades in France during a war. On 26 February 1826 she founded the Carmelite Sisters of Charity at Vic in Catalonia. Her parents had steered her toward marriage although she had wished to become a Carmelite, and the institute she founded was meant to educate girls and care for the sick.

She died in Barcelona on 28 August 1854 during a cholera epidemic. Pope John XXIII canonised her on 12 April 1959. The Vedruna Sisters keep her feast on 22 May; some calendars give 28 August, the day she died.

Works and witness

• Married Teodoro de Mas on 24 March 1799 and had nine children
• Widowed in 1816
• Founded the Carmelite Sisters of Charity at Vic on 26 February 1826
• Died during the Barcelona cholera epidemic in 1854
• Canonised on 12 April 1959

Saints from the same country

Saint Dominic, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Saint Teresa of Ávila, Saint Francis Xavier

References

• Vedruna Carmelite Sisters, "Origins" (vedruna.org)
• Claretian Missionaries, "St. Joaquina Vedruna" (claret.org)

Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.